Assigned to oversee the excavation of a medieval site in the English countryside, Arnold Landon soon finds himself investigating a series of murders that are the work of a modern-day Viking warrior.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A diffuse and unconvincing plot, sketchy character development, a villain clearly discernible to the reader, though not to the cast, and a dry dissertation on the Viking way of vengeance sink this latest offering from a prolific British author. Archeologist Arnold Landon, last met in A Secret Dying , must abandon his working-vacation plans with bookstore owner and romance novelist Jane Wilson, when his boss sends him on a dig for medieval artifacts at Birley Thore. At the same time, vinegary Detective Chief Inspector John Culpeper has had to cut short his vacation to investigate a horrible murder at South Middleton. Eventually, Landon and Culpeper will meet, as they have before, and neither will trust the other, a dynamic that proves nearly fatal for Landon. By then we will have learned that someone with a knowledge of Viking customs has killed at least four persons in England and abroad, each time carving up the body in the "bloodeagle" signature of Viking berserkers. In addition, the killer may have been associated with a unit of the Small Boat Services, a close-knit British commando squad which was ambushed in an operation five years earlier. This is an overwrought, humdrum offering from Lewis, many of whose other tales have been crisply plotted.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Arnold Landon takes time from his duties at the British Department of Museums and Antiquities to ensure that a new bridge excavation won't disturb any ancient artifacts. Fans of previous Landon books know that the intrepid medievalist is bound to become involved in some kind of crime solving requiring him to use his knowledge of archaeology, so it's no surprise when Detective Inspector Culpeper of the Morpeth police asks for Landon's help in solving a series of grisly murders. Culpeper figures Landon can help sort out the sinister clues the killer leaves behind--a slip of paper containing the ancient-sounding word Godar and other Norse symbols, and a gory corpse that's been "bloodeagled," a horrific technique used by the ancient Vikings in which the victim was split and splayed from head to waist. The copper and the medievalist put their heads together and find some odd connections--not to the ancient Vikings, but to a much more modern "tribe." Lewis does his usual fine job of offering readers an intriguing plot, an assortment of interesting characters, and a surprising but satisfying solution. Fans of British mysteries will find this an absorbing read. Emily Melton
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